Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

Alma Mater: South Fayette, 1981 | Sport: Football

A 1981 graduate of South Fayette, Jonathan Hayes has enjoyed a decorated career at every level of football, beginning with his time as a Lion. As a senior, Hayes helped lead South Fayette to the West Hills Conference championship, earning Team MVP and West Hills Conference Player of the Year accolades, and was selected to participate in the Big 33 Game. He moved onto the University of Iowa, beginning his collegiate career as a linebacker before moving to tight end. Hayes helped the Hawkeyes reach four bowl games – the 1982 Rose Bowl, 1982 Peach Bowl, 1983 Gator Bowl, and 1984 Freedom Bowl – and broke out in his junior season, when he caught 42 passes for 512 yards and six touchdowns and was named a First Team All-American. After graduating from Iowa, he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft and embarked on a 12-year professional career. Hayes spent nine seasons with the Chiefs and reached the 1993 AFC Championship Game with them, then played his final three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he played in the 1994 AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys. His coaching career began in 1999 with the University of Oklahoma where he was part of the 2000 BCS National Championship team, and he spent 16 years as the tight ends coach for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2003 to 2018. Hayes was the head coach and general manager of the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks in 2020, and in 2023 was the co-offensive coordinator for the XFL champion Arlington Renegades.